Earth Science
Water on Earth
Importance of Oceans
Study Tip
The large amount of biomass in the oceans produces a lot of food through organisms and oxygen through marine plants.
Oceans Moderate Climate
- The oceans distribute heat evenly around the planet.
- They absorb heat at the equator and then move it away to more polar regions.
- The temperatures on our planet range from -70 °C to 55 °C.
- This range is only 125 °C because the ocean helps to distribute heat around the globe.
Study Tip
The large amount of biomass in the oceans produces a lot of food through organisms and oxygen through marine plants.
Biological Importance
- The ocean is a major component of the water cycle, as most evaporation occurs in the oceans, and most precipitation lands in them.
- Marine life makes up the majority of the Earth’s biomass, or the total mass of living organisms in a given area.
Many marine organisms such as the Polar Bears rely on the ocean as an ecosystem.
Concept Check
- How do the oceans circulate and regulate heat around the planet?
- Which processes do the oceans play a large role in?
- What is biomass? What kinds of things make up biomass?
